First Cobalt Corp (CVE:FCC) (OTCQX:FTSSF) has announced the appointments of Regan Watts as the company’s new vice-president of Corporate Affairs and Dr George Puvvada as its Refinery Technical Manager.
Watts, who has more than 20 years of public and private sector experience in regulatory and corporate affairs, is expected to add US corporate and regulatory affairs to his responsibilities to help First Cobalt advance its Iron Creek copper-cobalt project in Idaho, which aligns with US President Joe Biden's US$2 trillion green energy plan.
Dr Puvvada, meanwhile, has more than 25 years of industrial metallurgical experience and will be a key member of the senior leadership team tasked with executing on First Cobalt's refinery expansion and commissioning strategy and qualifying the company's cobalt sulfate product for inclusion in Western automaker electric vehicle batteries.
READ: First Cobalt Corp fully focused on creating a North American cobalt supply chain
“As the company enters a growth phase with the expansion and recommissioning of our North American cobalt refinery, we mirror that with the growth and strength of our team. Last year's government investment was transformational and validated our strategic plan,” First Cobalt CEO Trent Mell said in a statement.
He added: “In his new role, Mr Watts will be setting his sights on opportunities with the new administration in the United States, while also continuing to lead First Cobalt's regulatory efforts in Canada.
“We are pleased to welcome Dr Puvvada to the team. His experience with hydrometallurgical flow sheets will be instrumental to the successful execution of North America's first and only producer of battery grade cobalt. We will continue to build out our team as we power a better path forward and work towards a greener future.”
Watts is a former a member of IBM Canada's senior leadership group, heading the Innovation, Citizenship and Government Affairs team, while Dr Puvvada has worked with some of the world's leading metallurgical and engineering firms, including SNC Lavalin, Tetra Tech, Ortech and SGS.
First Cobalt is focused on creating a North American cobalt supply chain through both exploration and refining. The company owns North America’s only permitted cobalt refinery located in Ontario, Canada, which could produce over 25,000 tonnes of cobalt sulfate per year from a third-party feed.
Contact Sean at sean@proactiveinvestors.com